1. Cottonseed is planted from early February to mid-May and the matured fluffy, white bolls are harvested from September through December

2. Spinning mills purchase bales of cotton then blend, clean and straighten cotton fibers into a continuous strand called sliver, which goes through additional processes prior to spinning.

3. The spinning process reduces the sliver’s weight and inserts twist in order to produce a yarn, which is then packaged and ready for the weaving mill.

4. Yarns are combined to form a continuous “rope” and many ropes are fed into multiple indigo dyeing baths.

5. Once dried, ropes are separated into individual yarns, wound onto sheet-like beams and mounted on a loom for weaving.

6. Large rolls of finished denim fabric are shipped to the garment manufacturer and assorted denim garments are created for sale at retail. When ready to add the newest denim styles to a wardrobe, old denim can be recycled and put to good use.

7. The first step in turning an old pair of jeans or any denim garment into natural cotton fiber insulation is to remove zippers, buttons, hardware, and embellishments.

8. The denim is then returned to its natural, original fiber state, cotton, preparing it for manufacturing.

9. The reprocessed fiber is treated with a borate solution for fire retardency and mold/mildew resistance. Borate has a lower toxicity than table salt, making it safe for people and their environment. The manufacturing process for creating UltraTouch™ Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation is now underway.

10. Sheets of insulation are cut to size and prepared for packaging to be shipped and installed for use in residential homes and commercial buildings across the country.

Many colleges and universities have decided to cooperate with Cotton From Blue To Green by having donation events. My school, SUNY ESF, will be hosting such an event on October 29th. This will take place on the quad and is called “Drop Your Jeans”. They will be taking donations and snapping photos of you “dropping your jeans” so you can share them on Facebook!!!